Why do I care about infographics? Basically I have seen far too many presentations that are cumbersome, convoluted, and too technical to reach more than a few members of the audience. Infographics are required to present information (be it complex or not) in a clear, concise, accurate and immediate manner. This allows the message to be communicated unencumbered by research specific science-speak.

The best presentations I have ever seen have been those that were simple, clear, and engaging. Many of the TED talks follow these principles, and TED talks tend to be memorable.

Infographics are a great way to communicate findings. Especially if your presentation is only in poster format. That is, in those situations where you aren’t necessarily present to provide the information or answer questions – an infographic can cleanly and clearly relay the major findings of your work, while reaching the broadest audience. And sometimes in scientific research, that is absolutely key.